


Babbler Extraordinaire

by butterflysteve



Series: Stray Universe [2]
Category: Batgirl (Comic), Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-13 00:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/497356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflysteve/pseuds/butterflysteve
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Cass and Steph, AU where Cass is Batgirl, and Steph is Stray, Selina Kyle's latest addition. Because there ain't no romance like a Bat/Cat romance."</p>
<p>Stephanie and Cassandra meet at a fancy shindig. Nothing says romance like trying to steal the family jewels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Babbler Extraordinaire

**Author's Note:**

> For fluoresce :)

This was so not her idea of fun. Okay, so Steph was down with the whole robbing from the rich to give to the poor but what part of that meant she had to wear a dress? And not just any dress, oh no, this was a Serious Dress. You could tell it was a Serious Dress by how damn uncomfortable it was and how expensive it was leading to more uncomfortable ‘Oh God, Don’t Spill Anything On It Brown’ -ness. Seriously, it could have paid for a year’s worth of her mom’s rent and have left over change for an ice cream. Or ice cream and a cake. Ooooh ice cream cake, even better. Still, damn uncomfortable dress and then of course were the knives and tools. Oh boy, they were stuck in places you couldn’t even begin to imagine.

“Stupid thing, sticking in my... hey Mister Wayne, Wayne junior?” Steph grinned sheepishly as she quick, quick tugged her hands out of her bra and gave the pair a two fingered salute before backing away. At least she hadn’t managed to you know smush anything in their faces or trip over and geez, what was with the glaring? From the way they were glaring you’d think there was a thief near their precious, precious giant diamond. Oh, wait there was. Her! “Keep smiling Steph and look casual.”

Backing away, Steph sighed blowing a hair out of her elaborately styled hair do. Seriously, this gig sucked.  Honestly when Selina had said she was taking her out on a high profile job she thought she’d meant complex alarm systems, the cover of darkness, her slinky badass uniform and maybe flirting disastrously with the Bat (girl, not the elder and creepier Batdad.) All that before having a high speed chase in a car, on a bike, across the rooftops of Gotham. Maybe a kiss in the cover of darkness, hey a girl could dream. Still, Steph hadn’t thought Selina meant schmooze and steal from Gotham’s finest (and not so finest, come on she saw Penguin earlier!  Reformed character her ass.)

And of course said swanky party was being held for the Bruce Wayne Benefit Foundation. Yay! Nothing could go wrong at one of those shindigs. Right? Seriously, what was with this guy and disastrous parties? It was almost like he wanted Gotham Crime Inc to stroll up to his parties and steal from him. He had the worst, the _worst_ security systems in place. No pressure sensors, no added security detail, no sweeping cameras... just a lot of his adopted kids working the room socially. Really, for a MegaBajillionaire Bruce Wayne was a total cheap skate.

“Not even pressure sensors in sight, sheesh give a girl a little challenge.” Steph muttered. Totally cheap except of course on the buffet table. Whoa boy, it was like Steph had died and gone to canapé heaven. Only way this would have been way cooler would have been a waffle bar.

“ Jackpot! Come to momma,” Steph murmured happily, doing a little dance in front of the food table. A whole lotta deliciousness was coming Steph’s way. Glancing around for Selina, Steph stabbed two teeny, tiny bread rolls with a pair of forks before making them do a little tap dance. Wiggling her butt as she danced at the table, Steph grinned. Ha, see she could totally work the Serious Dress angle. “Bread roll dance dumdumdum- aaagh!”

Steph’s eyes widened, letting out a little at the sudden appearance of one of the Wayne’s. And it wasn’t Captain Tight Pants either. Nope, it really was not hers or her Serious Dress’s night because tonight she had _Enigmatic Wayne_ staring at her. She was like the Posh Spice of the Wayne World.  Steph didn’t think she’d ever seen the girl smile, not once. Not that she had pictures of her at all or you know fantasiz- okay, lurking on rooftops could be really, really boring sometimes.

And she’d spaced right out again.

“Um... hi?” Steph said smiling, light and breezy at her before slowly picking up the bread roll and popping, eat the evidence, into her mouth. Chewing with her mouth open, Steph continued to smile at the girl who continued to stare at her _intensely._ Gotta say it for the Wayne’s, they might not all be biologically related to each other but boy, did they have that matching intense stare down pat. And when faced with intense stares from someone she was totally crushing on, Steph tended to babble.  And she couldn’t babble, babbling was bad, embarrassing. Oh god, spacing out. “Bread roll?”

Bread roll and the award for chat up lines goes to Stephanie Brown. She’d be here all evening ladies and gents. You know if she didn’t get incinerated alive by the intense staring, which shouldn’t turn her on but oh god, kinda did.

“No? Not a big talker? Me neither. A talker, I mean. I’m totally quiet as a mouse,” Steph said babbling away and wanting to hit her head repeatedly for the babbling. Babbling Bad.  Babbling... hey, was she smiling at her? There was totally a lip twitch there. “Okay, so maybe not as a mouse. More like a cat or you know other furry animal type creatures. Not a feline. Not a-“

“You talk too much,” Steph’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening at the voice replying to her. Her! Steph Brown. Babbler Extraordinaire.

“Who me? Talk too much? No!” Steph replied, relaxing into a grin as she fiddled with the bread roll. “Who’ve you been talking to? Surely that’s a complete dishonour on my reputation, I could sue for that sort of scandalous rumour you’re spreading. Enigmatic Wayne Scandalises Guests. It would be huge.”

“Enigmatic?” Enigmatic Wayne asked. Okay so she had a name and it was Cassandra but that was a name that only an bajillionaire would call his adopted daughter. Cassandra. It was so formal, she was totally a Cass or you know maybe even a Cassie. Steph was gonna call her Cassie just once, see if that got a smile.

“Yeah, mysterious. Aloof. Kinda like Posh Spice,” Steph replied easy as she nibbled on the bread roll. It was only what Cassie, Cass, Cassandra, she of the Wayne name said next that made her cough and sputter and almost choke on said delicious bread roll.

“Who is... Posh Spice?”

Steph coughed, sharp and gentle hands moving to her bare back and hitting her with precision as she tried to stop choking. Steph waived her off before reaching for a glass, taking a couple of big gulps as the hands turned to soothing circles.

“Posh Spice? Victoria Beckham, apparently a singer. Married to David Beckham. Soccer God?  You don’t know who the Spice girls are?” Steph asked, clearing her throat and trying not to lean into the oh so nice hands of one Cass Wayne.

“Hn, no.”

“I-I’m shocked. Shocked and appalled, how do you not know who the- I have all their records. Come on surely you know who they are?!” Steph asked, looking up at the girl confused as she shook her head in reply. What was Wayne Senior teaching them? Seriously, Culture 101. Spice Girls. Well, maybe pop culture but seriously life wasn’t all Serious Dresses and fancy shindigs even if you were the daughter of a bajillionaire. “They’re... amazing. Girl Power! Kicking ass and stuff!”

“Hn, and you like them?” Cass replied, making Steph sputter some more. Seriously, what was-

“Sure! They’re one of the-“ **‘In position. Stray?** ’ Steph faltered before continuing. Don’t let the Wayne know you’re about to rob them blind. Don’t let her know. “-Best girl groups of all time. Of all time. Seriously. You have to listen to their records.”

And maybe Selina could not interrupt her and Enigmatic, Cassie, Wayne chatting. Talking. Maybe a little flirting time. Okay, so maybe she was on the clock but hey, when opportunities knock or when strange, enigmatic Wayne’s happen upon you.

 “Maybe you could... “   **‘Stray? Ugh, kiddo quit flirting with Cassandra and wrap it up.’** “... show me?”

“Sure!” ‘ **Thirty seconds until the real party begins.’** “I mean, what? Um, okay? Okay. We can totally do that. No conflicting reasons or anything at all. Me, you, Spice Girls.”

“Stop talking.” Cassie’s lips were smiling brightly now. All warmth and wow, that was kind of _breathtaking_. She should so smile all the time and never, ever stop. That was better than the bread roll. And less likely to induce choking. **‘Stephanie. Ten seconds.’**

“Yes ma’am.” Steph practically purred, answering the two people talking to her as she grinned at Cassie who was blushing, totally blushing. She was so crushing on her. “I’m Steph, by the way.”

“I know.” **‘Five seconds.’**

Steph looked at the other girl curiously, eyebrow going up as she watched her.

“Really?

“Yes,” It was a simple word. But the way she said it, that familiar tone that made Steph take a step forward towards her. Oh my god was she... was she? The question on her lips, in her hands, in her eyes, in her-

And then the lights went out.

And then the screaming began.

Oh boy, thanks Selina just when things were starting to get interesting. Steph turned to move towards the noise before something made her stop.

“Stephanie?” Cass. She hesitated, hand reaching for Cassie’s hand before she turned. Couldn’t do this now Brown, she had a job to do. She couldn’t stay. She ran, tugging the Serious Dress and striking out at someone who moved to grab her.

 “Time to go to work kiddo,” Selina grabbed her arm, tugging her errant charge along with her.

“Sure thing Boss.”

Time to go to work. Right, that’s what she was here for. _Work._ Sometimes it sucked being morally grey.


End file.
